Meter registers and drive mechanisms therefor



June 11, 1963 R. z. HAGUE ETAL 3,093,307

M ETER REGISTERS AND DRIVE MECHANISMS THEREFOR Original Filed March 14. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wu'lmlwilmm mm illlH W Hm". m. I

l :32 I ii 38 nae-6 I INVENTORS ROBERT Z. HAGUE HENNING- KARLBY Amos B. NEWBURY y 9 A ORNEYS United Statcs Patent 3,093,307 METER REGISTERS AND DRIVE MECHANISMS THEREFOR Robert Z. Hague, Oradell, N .J and Henning Karlby, Pittsburgh, and Amos B. Newhury, Murrysville, Pa., assignors to Rockwell Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of iennsylvania Original application Mar. 14, 1952, Ser. No. 276,652, now Patent No. 2,858,461, dated Oct. 28, 1958. Divided and this application Oct. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 6%,473

9 Claims. (Cl. 23594) The present invention relates to fluid meters, and in particular to register drive mechanisms and registers therefor. While our invention is of general adaptability, it is particularly useful in connection with sealed drives between the meter and the register, such as shown, for example, in a copending application entitled Fluid Meters, filed on March 14, 1952 by Robert Z. Hague, Henning Karlby and Ernest H. Tretf and issued on Gctober 28, 1958 as Patent 2,857,763. This application is a division of application Serial No. 276,652 filed March 14, 1952 and issued on October 28, 1958 as Patent 2,858,461.

Failure to operate is the most serious complaint that can be made against a meter. Wat-er meters, for example must operate in very adverse surroundings, frequently underground, and the designs of the driving gear trains and register mechanisms have been such as to subject them to corrosive attack of the elements. Such prior mechanisms have therefore been necessarily made of rugged costly corrosion-resistant construction, and the gear trains and register mechanisms have been subject to relatively frequent failure and replacement. It is accordingly a primary object of our present invention to provide a hermetically sealed gear train and register mechanism for Water meters and the like in which the mechanisms are not affected by the surrounding "atmosphere, and in the construction of which lower cost, less. critical materials and lower cost construction may be used than that required in the conventional water meter register.

The most simple drive and hermetically sealed gear train and register mechanism is provided by use of a magnetic drive coupling between the drive and the gear train. Various prior etforts to provide magnetic drives have been made, the best of which is shown in US. Patent 2,487,783 to Bergman issued November 15, 1949. Such drives have, however, been subject to lack of dependability due to the inability of such magnetic drives to reestablish the driving relationship after severance thereof and due to the relatively heavy torque requirements of the gear train and register mechanisms utilized. To provide a novel dependable combination of magnetic drive and low torque registering mechanism is therefore a further object of the present invention. This We accomplish by providing a novel magnetic drive, gear train, and register combination having an available driving torque substantially greater than the resisting torque, and in which the magnetic driving relationship is continuously maintained under practical operating conditions.

While the device disclosed by Bergman is entirely satisfactory for normal operating conditions, such drives are, at times, subjected to abnormal operating conditions which result in malfunctioning of magnetic coupling arrangements such as that disclosed in the Bergman patent. One

such extreme operating condition is the subjection of the meter assembly to an extremely strong steady or alternating magnetic field which in the Bergman magnetic drive at times results in failure of the magnetic coupling. In order to avoid this difliculty, magnetic shields have been provided in certain forms of the prior art meters having magnetic drive couplings between the measuring device and register. One of such meters is disclosed in Patent No. 2,566,220 issued August 28, 1951 to A. B.

3,093,307 Patented June 11, 1963 Lindley et al. for Water Meter. The prior art shields with which we are acquainted have not proved to be entirely satisfactory in that they have not been effective against all frequency ranges of alternating magnetic fields to which a meter may be subjected and in that they have been effective only against magnetic fields having a particular orientation relative to the meter structure. It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved magnetic drive embodying a pair of magnetically coupled members guided for conjoint movement about a common xis, and which are readily magnetically shielded preferably against both steady and alternating magnetic disturbances irrespective of the orientation of such disturbances relative to the drive.

More specifically, it is an object of our invention to provide an improved magnetic drive of the type formed by a pair of magnetically coupled members guided for conjoint movement about a common axis, the operation of which is not disturbed by external magnetic fields due to the provision of a first magnetic shield defining a low. reluctance magnetic flux path for steady or low frequency magnetic fields and preferably a second shield for preventing interference by high frequency magnetic fields, both of such shields being disposed about the paths of movement of the members.

A second abnormal operating condition to which a magnetic meter drive may be subjected is the high acceleration of fluid flow through the measuring chamber. This requires a corresponding acceleration of the moving parts of the registering mechanism and results, at times, in separation of the driving and driven magnets.

In a magnetic drive of the type disclosed in said Bergman patent, sufiicient friction and inertia exist in the register and driving parts so that once the driving and driven magnets become separated the driving magnet will only pick up the driven magnet at extremely low rates of relative velocity at the time the driving magnet comes adjacent the driven magnet. The cause of this difiiculty will be best understood by visualizing a theoretic drive arrangement in which a vertical shaft 'journalled for rotation upon frictionless bearings, upon which a bar magnet is fixed as a crank, is driven by a magnet mounted for movement in a circular path about the axis thereof. In such a theoretic drive system, as the driving magnet approaches the driven magnet, the magnetic force of attraction be- 7 tween the two magnets will impart an impulse tending to cause the driven magnet to move about its shaft in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the driving magnet. After the driving magnet passes the driven magnet, an opposite impulse is imparted to the driven magnet. Since the two impulses are equal and opposite the driven magnet will not follow the driving magnet. Therefore, when the driving and driven magnets have been separated and the driven magnet has come to rest, movement of the driving magnet merely produces oscillation, of the driven magnet. The drive coupling, therefore, cannot be re-established unless the driving magnet is brought substantially to rest in position to pick up the driven magnet, and the drive is gradually accelerated. For these reasons such a theoretic magnetic drive is impractical in a meter mechanism.

In the drive of said Bergman Patent 2,487,783, the best of the prior magnetic meter drives, friction on the driven magnet was minimized to the point that after rupture of thedriving connection, the effects of the impulses tending to impart movement to the driven magnetin a direction opposite to that of the driving magnet were not adequately suppressed. In our improved drive, the friction and inertia in the drive between the measuring device and the registering device, and in the register mechanism are such that re-establishment of the drive coupling between the driven magnet and the driving magnet will be effected at sub- 3 stantially greater than normal operating rates of passing velocity.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide an improved magnetic drive in which the drive connection is maintained at all practical operating conditions.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an improved magnetic drive in which inertia effects are minimized and frictional effects are used to suppress the effects of negative impulses in a way to establish and maintain reliability of drive in operation. This we accomplish in the preferred form of our invention by providing driven parts of minimum size and weight to minimize driving friction and inertia, and a magnetic coupling comprising a pair of magnetically attracted members, one of the mernbers being mounted for movement in a first continuous path and the other of said members being guided for movement in a second and similar path within the path of said one member by a means permitting limited free axial movement thereof so that, if the members are separated for any reason during operation, the driven member automatically moves into engagement with a braking surface, whereby movement of the driven magnet toward the driving magnet, as the latter approaches the former, is suppressed.

A further disadvantage of the prior meter drive and register assemblies has been the necessity of reliance upon expensive housing structures to secure proper mounting and alignment of the drive, gear train and register subassemblies. This disadvantage we overcome by piloting the driving spindle and pinion subassembly into the gear train independently of the containing casing structure with resultant substantial improvement in functioning at substantially lowered cost. Another object of our invention accordingly is to provide such a novel piloted combination of drive, gear train and register mechanism in which the need for exact alignment of housing structures is eliminated.

We have found that in a hermetically sealed register driving train and register assembly, the output torque required to drive a satisfactory counter and indicating mechanism is relatively small. Also that a large part of the resisting torque is developed in the driving spindle and pinion subassembly, and that the torque resistance imposed on the drive by the successive gear clusters decreases rapidly. We have accordingly found that by providing, in a hermetically sealed assembly, a driving spindle and pinion subassembly having minimum torque resistance, the torque resistance of the remaining gear clusters, within practical limits, becomes of secondary importance, enabling the production of novel low cost, low torque, reliable drive gear train, and register assemblies. The production of such assemblies is accordingly a further primary object of our invention.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a register of such construction that the shafts journalling the elements of the gear train, particularly the high speed portion thereof, have their hearings in only one of the spaced rigid elements forming the frame, whereby it is not necessary to obtain absolute accuracy of alignment of spaced hearings in separate frame elements thus reducing the cost and increasing the reliability of the mechanism.

A further object is the provision of a novel dial and sweep hand indicator wherein the sweep hand and the pinion driving it are removable as a unit together with the dial thereby facilitating the assembly of the instrument and reducing its cost.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings and from the scope of the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a preferred embodiment of our improved gear train and register assembly and associated magnetic drive;

FIGURE 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2A is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2A2A of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the magnetic drive, taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an irregular vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, showing the interaction of the members of the gear train of the register assembly,

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the register assembly of FIGURE 2, as viewed from the right thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section through the counter assembly, taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

Magnetic Drive Mechanism Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, 10 indicates a portion of a cup shaped wall of the meter housing, dividing the meter mechanism from the register mechanism, as shown in greater detail in said copending application. Centrally of the bottom thereof, the Wall 10 has an opening 11 through which passes a tubular member 12 formed of non-magnetic material and having an integral bottom end wall 13. The inner cylindrical wall 12a of member 12 forms a raceway for the relatively small driven magnetic roller member 14 of the magnetic drive for the register. A driving member 15, formed of magnetic material and contained in a non-magnetic housing 16, moves in a circular path about the axis of the tubular member 12. In the disclosed embodiment of our invention, housing 16 and member 15 are moved in such path by an oscillating piston member 17, to which the housing 16 is centrally secured by a pin 18. At least one, and preferably both of the driving and driven magnetic members 15 and 14 are permanent magnets, member 14 being cylindrical so as to roll around the inner wall of tubular member 12. In practice a permanent magnet .125 inch in diameter and .500 inch long gives excellent results with the mechanism shown and described. When members 14 and 15 are both permanent magnets their upper ends are of opposite polarity, as are their lower ends, as indicated in FIGURE 1.

Magnetic Register Drive should become separated, that is if members 14 and 15 become radially misaligned, the weight of the driven member 14 will overcome the supporting force of magnetic attraction to driving member 15 and will, therefore shift axially downward under the influence of gravity into engagement with surface 13a. Surface 13a is roughened to form a friction brake surface. Frictional engagement of the lower end of driven member 14 with the braking surface 13a is suflicient to prevent movement of the driven member toward the driving member as the driving member approaches the driven member. The driven member will therefore remain at rest upon braking surface 13:: until the driving member comes to a position adjacent the driven magnet or, considered in another way, until radial alignment of members 14 and 15 is re-established. At the time, the driven member 14 will be lifted axially from surface 13:: to the position shown in FIGURE 1 and the drive will be re-established. This suppression of the effect of the negative impulse or movement of the driven member toward the driving member as the driving member approaches the driven member not only permits pick up of the driven member at much higher passing velocities, but in effect prevents separation in practical operation.

A cylindrical guide ring 19, which forms a part of the meter mechanism, is concentric with and surrounds member 12 providing therewith an annular space for the passage of the driving magnetic member 15. In order to prevent the disabling of magnetic attraction between magnetic members 14 and 15 by a strong low frequency alternating or by a steady magnetic field adjacent the meter, a shield of magnetic material of high permeability is provided around paths of movement of members 14 and 15. The shield takes the form of a cylindrical member 23 seated within guide ring 19 and abutting an internal shoulder 24 thereon; loosely fitting annular plate 25 resting upon the top of member 23, and an insert 26 within tubular member 12. Member 23, plate 25 and an insert 26 are all formed of magnetic material of high permeability, to provide a low reluctance flux path for any externally applied magnetic field and thus prevent disturbance of the magnetic attraction between members 14 and 1-5. As is disclosed in the said copending application, the meter housing, of which wall is a part, is preferably formed of electrically conductive material, such as bronze, and envelops the magnetic drive couplings so that it forms a shield to prevent interference from such alternating magnetic fields as would not be sufficiently diverted from the paths of movement of members 14 and by the magnetic shield formed by members 23, and 26.

The register mechanism is enclosed within a generally cup shaped casing 27 of corrosion resistant material, having a central bottom opening beneath an external flange 28 which is adjacent the top of and integral with tubular member 12. Flange 28 and casing 27 are joined in fluid tight relationship by a suitable means such as welding.

The casing 27 rests on top of the cup shaped wall 10 at its opening 11. An annular sealing element 32 is in a recess or countersink in wall 10 adjoining its central opening 11. Casing 27, wall '10, sealing element 32, and tubular member 12 are held in rigid relationship by means of an internally threaded ring 29 which is threaded on to tubular member 12 at 31 compressing sealing element 32 and forming a fixed fluid seal preventing passage of fluid past the opening 11. An annular space between ring 29 and an inner peripheral groove adjacent the top of guide ring 19 receives a resilient O ring 33. In the final meter assembly the O ring 33, the ring 29 and the groove in guide ring 19 provide piloting surfaces for maintaining accurate alignment of the tubular member 12 relative to the guide ring 19 of the meter.

It should be noted that the method of mounting the register gear train and piloting it at 55 is purposely made independent of casing 27. It should also be noted that the alignment between tubular member 12 and ring 19 is obtained via ring 29 and O ring 33 and does not depend in any way on wall 10 or the rest of the meter housing. Further alignment required in the mechanism is obtained step by step as you progress up the mechanism. At no time is the alignment between wall 10 and casing 27 functional.

A lightweight register drive spindle 34 preferably of wire and of minimum diameter (in practice of the order of .020 inch) is journalled for rotation in a pair of spaced bearing members 35 and 36 that are mounted in a central bore 37 in the insert '26. Member '36, which is formed of non-magnetic material, projects downwardly below the lower end of insert 26 and is of sufliciently large diameter relative to that of the member 14 and the inner cylindrical wall 12a to assure the maintenance of the member 14 in spaced relation from the end of insert 26 to prevent the establishment of an effective magnetic attraction therebetween if the register assembly is inverted as in shipment or storage. Primary or high speed drive pinion 38 is fixedly secured to the top of spindle 34 by means of a hub the lower face of which abuts the upper surface of upper member 35 and supports the drive spindle 34 against downward movement. Spindle 34 at its lower end is bent outwardly and then vertically to form a crank-like portion 39 that lies in the path of rotation of the driven magnetic member 14. As the driven member 14 rolls over the inner surface 12a of tubular member 12, it will drivingly engage the crank-like portion 39 of the register drive spindle 34, as best shown in FIG- URES 1 and 3. As will more fully hereinafter appear, because of the extremely low inertia and friction and the low torque requirements of the gear train and register mechanism there is no chance of the magnetic driving member 15 going past the driven magnetic member 14 without picking it up and rotating the crank 39 and the register drive spindle 34. It should be noted that as shown, the driven magnetic member 14 is completely free of axial restraint by crank 39.

Since there is no restraint upon the driven member 14 by the crank portion 39 of the register drive spindle 34, the inertia of the register drive train can have no effect upon the driven member 14 if the driving member 15 is suddenly brought to rest by suddenly shutting off the fluid passing through the meter. Thus the only inertia tending to separate the driving and driven members is that of the small driven member itself.

Register Mechanism and Driving Gear T rain The total quantity of fluid that has passed through the meter is indicated by a pointer 42 (FIGURE 5) pivotally mounted centrally of an indicator dial 43', and a plural order counter mechanism 44, a peripheral portion of which is visible through a window 45 formed through the indicator dial 43. The register and driving gear train assembly is a compact unit formed of lightweight instrument type parts having low friction and inertia, and is hermetically sealed so that the corrosive atmosphere and elements to which meters of this type are normally subjected will not affect the accuracy and dependability of the unit. This assembly is best shown in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5.

Counter mechanism 44 and the various gears of the drive train from the register drive spindle 34 are supported upon a pair of lower and upper die-cast frame members 46 and 47 (FIGURES 2 and 5), each having the general shape of a yoke, as shown in FIGURE 2, and swaged together at 48 and 49 in the manner best shown in FIGURE.

2A. A bracket 52 (FIGURE 5) having a central depressed portion 53, is secured to the bottom of frame member 46 as shown in FIGURES 2A and 5, the bottom ends of a pair of screws 48a and 49a, which extend through bores formed through member 46 coaxial with the swaged portions 48 and 49, being threaded into its outer end pormental cylindrical surface 56 to accurately position the drive pinion 38 in properly aligned axial relation to the gear train assembly and in proper mesh with high speed gear 85.

Indicator dial plate 43, as is best shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, is supported in parallel spaced relation with the top surface of upper frame member 47, by three spaced bosses 57, 57a and 57b which are conveniently formed integral with upper member 47, plate 43 being secured to these bosses by screws 58, 59 and 60 (FIGURE 2) which are respectively threadedly engaged therewith.

The counter mechanism 44 is of generally conventional design, being generally of the intermediate pinion carry mechanism type similar to that disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,909,740 issued May 16, 1933 to Zubaty. This mechanism comprises a series of counter wheels 63-67, inclusive, the last-four of which are journalled upon a shaft 68 (FIGURE 6), and the first of which is fixed thereon. These wheels represent, respectively, the units, tens, hundreds, thousands and ten thousands orders of the counter mechanism 44. Shaft 68 is journalled for rotation between the arms 71 and '72 (FIG- URE 2) of the yoke shaped member 46, its opposite ends being received in recesses 71a and 72a respectively. A carry pinion support plate 73, as shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 6, is mounted intermediate each adjacent pair of counter wheels and each plate 73 is provided with a pair of ears 74 and 75 (FIGURE 6) which embrace a ledge 76 formed integrally with the upper die cast frame member 47, and extending parallel to the axis of shaft 68. The engagement of cars 74 and '75 with ledge 76 prevents rotative movement of the support plates 73 about the shaft 68. The face of each counter wheel which is adjacent the next lower order counter wheel is provided with a recess 77 (FIGURE 1) around the peripheral edge of which is formed a continuous row of internal annular teeth '78 coaxial with shaft 63. As is shown in FIGURE 6, each counter wheel face adjacent the next higher order is provided with a recess 79 on the peripheral edge of which is formed a pair of adjacent gear teeth 81 and 82 and a peripheral ledge 80 coaxial with shaft 68 and which is axially shorter than the length of gear teeth 81 and 32.. A carry pinion 83 is journalled upon stub shaft 34 which is fixed to an off-set portion 85 (FIGURE 1) of the support plate 73. The teeth of pinion 83' are in constant mesh with the row of teeth 78 on the counter wheel of the next higher order and are of such formation that they coact with the pair of teeth 81 and 82 and the ledge 80 of the next lower order counter wheel in the manner of a Geneva movement.

In the particular embodiment disclosed, a complete revolution of a lower order counter wheel will advance the pinion 83 two teeth which, in turn, will advance the associated counter wheel by one unit or a tenth of a revolution by the advancement of the internal annular gear teeth 73 by two teeth. The teeth of pinion 83 coact with the ledge 80 to prevent movement of the pinion 83 of the adjacent higher order counter wheel except at the time when the teeth 81 and 82 engage the teeth of the pinion 83. The count of the counter mechanism 44 is advanced by rotation of shaft 68 to which the lowest order counter wheel 63 is fixed. Thus 10,000 revolutions of the shaft 68 will produce 10,000 revolutions of the counter wheel 63, 1000 revolutions of the counter wheel 64, 100 revolutions of wheel 65, 10 revolutions of wheel 66 and one revolution of wheel 67. Reference may be made to the aforesaid Zubaty Patent 1,909,740 for a more detailed explanation of the mode of operation of counter mechanisms of this type, if necessary.

Counter mechanism 44 is driven from spindles 34 by a gear train of small lightweight gears having low inertia and which requires a minimum of driving torque. Pinion 38 (FIGURES 1 and fixed to the upper end of drive spindle 34, meshes with gear 86 (FIGURES 4 and 5). Input shaft 68 of counter mechanism 44 is driven by a worm wheel 87 (FIGURE 5) fixed thereto. Worm wheel 87 meshes with worm 88 which is fixed to and driven by shaft 89, supported by and journalled at its lower end in frame member 46 and its upper end in frame member 4-7 (FIGURE 4). Shaft 89 is driven from gear 86, with which pinion 38 on spindle 34 is in mesh, by a reduction gear train consisting ofpinion 90 v fixed to and rotatable with gear 86, gear 91 in mesh with pinion 90, a pinion 92 fixed to gear 91, gear 93 in mesh with pinion 92, pinion 94 fixed to gear 93, gear 95 in mesh with pinion 94, and pinion 96 fixed to gear 95 in mesh with gear 97. Gear 97' is fixed to gear 98 and both are fixed on the upper end of shaft 89. Thus,

upon rotation of the spindle 34, the counter mechanism 44 is advanced through the action of this drive train.

The gear and pinion pairs 0690, 9192, and 9394 are interchangeable and are journalled for rotation on parallel steel shafts 99 fixed in frame member 46. Pinions 90, 92 and 94 are preferably formed of bronze and provided with bores having bearing fits on shafts 99. Gears 86, 91 and 92 are staked on shoulders formed on pinions 90, 92 and 94 respectively and preferably formed of brass. The use of dissimilar metals in mating gears and pinions results in lowered frictional resistance and longer life of the gearing. By way of example of the light weigr t parts used, in the embodiment shown the diameter (within close tolerances) of shafts 99 is .046 of an inch, and gears-86, 91 and 93 each have 54 teeth, are .683 of an inch in outside diameter and are stamped from #24 (.0201) B & S brass, while pinions 90, 92 and 94 have 12 teeth and an outside diameter of .192 of an inch and are Wide enough to provide for interchangeable use in the intermediate reduction stages.

Gear and pinion pair 95-96 is journalled on pin 100 pressed into and extending upward from upper frame member 47. Pinion 9 extends upwardly through an aperture 101 in member 47 to mesh with gear 95, and shaft 89 extends upward through a bearing surface 102 in member 47 to support the gear pair 9798. Gears 95 and 98 are of brass and are interchangeable. Gears 96 and 97 are like gears of different tooth numbers with gears 95- and 98 staked thereto and are formed of bronze with bores of the same size, so that gear pairs 9596 and 97-98 may be interchanged. The gears 96 and 97 are made with different tooth numbers so that, when the gear pairs 95-96 and 97-93 are interchanged the ratio of the gear train is changed from that suitable for gallon registration to that suitable for cubic foot registration.

As best shown in FIGURE 4, indicating pointer 42 is fixed to a hollow hub i103 extending through an aperture 104 formed in the indicator dial 43. Hub 103 is also journalled on a fixed shaft 105 of the same size as shafts 99, fixed in a boss 106 on the upper frame member 47. Below dial 43 a gear 107 is fixed on a lower portion of hub 103 which is of reduced diameter and knurled. By this construction the dial 43, the pointer 42, hub 103 and gear 107 are removable as a subassembly after re moval of the screws 58, 59 and 60 (FIGURE 2). As is shown in FIGURE 4, gear 107 is in mesh with gear 98 fixed to and rotatable with gear 97' and shaft 39, so that indicating pointer 42 is rotated about the shaft 105 in timed relation with the drive of the counter mechanism 44.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description, and as shown in FIGURE 4, all of the gears except 97 and 98 are journalled on fixed shafts in the die cast members 46 and 47 and may be readily dropped into place during assembly, providing economy of manufacture and ease of assembly.

It will accordingly be seen that a convenient, simplified low cost reducing gear train and register assembly having low frictional and torque resistance, without the need of lubrication has been provided which is highly important in the provision of a reliable magnetically driven meter. Due to the lightweight and low torque resistance of the parts in the example given, even with the small magnets used, the torque resistance of the register mechanism is approximately one tenth or less of the magnetic driving torque available.

As best shown in FIGURE 1, the register assembly is sealed in a cup shaped casing 27 of corrosion resistant material having a radially enlarged portion 108 in which a transparent window 109 is mounted. Window 109 is held in sealed relation to the enlarged portion 108 of the casing 27 between a pair of annular gaskets I10 and 111, and the top peripheral edge 112 of casing 27 is spun over the gasket 1 10 to complete the assembly of the register and to form a permanently sealed unit into which neither dirt nor moisture can enter, and which cannot be disassembled without destruction of the casing 27. To absorb any initial moisture that may be trapped in the assembly during manufacture a small quantity of hygroscopic material may be sealed into the cup. Thus tampering with the register by unauthorized persons is prevented and long life and reliable performance of the mechanism are assured.

Summary In summary, we would like to emphasize the advantages of certain of the disclosed features of our present invention. The magnetic drive herein disclosed constitutes an improvement over prior art drives such as that disclosed in the aforesaid Bergman patent in that pick up of the driven member by the driving member at normal rates of driving member velocity is made possible by the provision of a friction brake surface. This prevents movement of the driven member along its circular path while radially misaligned relative to the driving member by suppressing the effect of the negative impulses on the driven magnet in a manner not possible in the Bergman drive due to the antifriction surface upon which the driven member rested while radially misaligned. The present magnetic drive constitutes an improvement over such prior art drives in that the driven member is free of restraint by the register drive spindle.

The present invention provides a register mechanism of improved and simplified construction which greatly reduces the cost of manufacture and assembly and which results in greater reliability of operation. The insert 26, spindle 34, pinion 38 and bearings 35 and 36 constitute a compact subassembly which in final assembly is accurately aligned relative to the register mechanism drive train by the coaction of mating piloting surfaces 55 and 56 thus eliminating the necessity of accurate alignment of both the drive spindle and the register drive train relative to the casing structure as in prior art arrangements. The gears of the drive train are mounted upon cantilever supported shafts fixed to one or the other of the support structure frames. This greatly reduces the cost of assembly of the parts of the drive train. The indicator subassembly including gear 107, plate 43, and indicator arm 42 is a compact unit which can be easily and quickly mounted in proper alignment with the register drive train.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a fluid meter having a meter housing, a register assembly adapted to be fixed to said meter housing and comprising a multi-component register casing delimiting a confined space, and a register sub-assembly structurally distinct from said register casing and mounted in said space solely on only one of the components of said register casing, said subassembly comprising a pair of spaced supporting frame members rigidly connected together and mounted on said one component of said register casing, a counter mechanism supported on at least one of said frame members, a speed reducing gear train driving said counter mechanism and including a series of fixed parallel shafts with meshing pairs of relatively large driven and relatively small drive gears journalled thereon, some of said shafts being solely mounted on and fixed to one of said frame members and terminating in spaced relation to the other of said frame members at one end and others of said shafts being mounted solely on and fixed to the other of said frame members and terminating in spaced relation to said one frame member, said frame members cooperating with each other to axially retain said relatively large driven and said relatively small drive gears on those shafts fixed to one of said frame members.

2. In a fluid meter having a meter housing, a register assembly adapted to be fixed to said meter housing and comprising a multi-component register casing delimiting a confined space, and a low torque register mechanism structurally distinct from said register casing and mounted in said space solely on only one of the components of said register casing, said low torque register mechanism comprising: an indicating pointer, a plural order counter mechanism including a series of counter wheels of difien ent orders and a common shaft for said Wheels, a speed reducing gear train including a plurality of parallel shafts with relatively large driven and relatively small drive gears journalled thereon, an input pinion and an output shaft for said gear train, a pair of spaced supporting members rigidly connected together, some of said parallel shafts being mounted solely on and fixed at one end to one of said members and the remainder being mounted solely on and fixed at one end to the other of said members with said frame members cooperating with each other to axially retain said relatively large driven and said relatively small drive gears on those shafts fixed to one of said members, means supporting said common shaft between said pair of spaced members, and a drive connection between said output shaft, said indicator pointer and said counter mechanism.

3. In a fluid meter, having a meter housing, a register assembly adapted to be fixed to said meter housing and comprising a multi-component register casing delimiting a confined space and a low torque register mechanism structurally distinct from said register casing and mounted in said space solely on only one of the components of said register casing, said low torque register mechanism comprising: a plural order counter mechanism including a series of counter wheels of different orders and a common shaft for said wheels, a reducing speed gear train including a plurality of parallel shafts, pairs of meshing relatively large driven and relatively small drive gears journalled on said shafts, an output shaft driven by said gear train, a pair of spaced supporting members rigidly connected together, some of said parallel shafts being mounted solely on and fixed at one end to one of said members and the remainder being mounted solely on and fixed at one end to the other of said members with said supporting members cooperating with each other to axially retain said relatively large driven and said relatively small drive gears on those shafts fixed to one of said members, means supporting said common shafts between said pair of spaced supporting members, and a drive connection between said output shaft and said counter mechanism including a Worm having an axis passing through both of said supporting members, and a worm gear driven by said worm about the axis of said common shaft.

4. The mechanism defined in claim 3 together with an indicator and a spur gear driving connection between said output shaft and said indicator.

5. In combination, a support, a series of intermeshing gears forming a reduction drive train, each gear of which is mounted for rotation on said support, a first piloting element fixed relative to the axis of rotation of one of the gears of said series, an indicator subassembly detachable as such and comprising essentially an apertured indicator dial plate having indicia forming a scale on one side thereof, an indicator arm on said one side of said plate, an indicator arm drive member disposed on and in juxtaposition to the opposite side of said plate, means extending through the aperture of said plate for connecting said drive member and said arm for concomitant movement and engaging said first piloting element to accurately position said drive element relative to said support, coacting means on said one gear and on said drive member for establishing a drive connection therebetween when said drive member is so positioned, and means for mounting said dial plate on said support.

6. In combination, a pair of spaced supports secured together, a series of intermeshing gears forming a reduction drive train, each gear of which is mounted for Iota.- tion on at least one of said supports, a first piloting element fixed exteriorily to one of said supports in spaced relation from one of the gears of said series, an indicator subassembly detachable as such and comprising essentially an apertured indicator dial plate having indicia forming a scale on one side thereof, an indicator arm disposed on said one side of said plate in cooperating relation to said scale, an indicator arm drive gear disposed on and injuXtaposition to the opposite side of said plate, means extending freely through the aperture of said plate for coupling said indicator arm and drive gear for concomitant movement, and a second piloting element fixed relative to said drive gear and engaging said first piloting element to accurately position said drive gear relative to said one support in meshing engagement With said one gear; and means for securing said dial plate to said one support.

7. For use With a register drive gear train and a supporting structure therefor having a piloting-element, an indicator subassembly consisting of an apertured indicator dial plate adapted to be mounted on said supporting structure and having a scale on one side thereof, an indicator arm disposed upon said one side of said plate, an indicator arm drive gear disposed upon and in juxtaposition to the opposite side of said plate, means extending freely through the aperture of said plate for coupling said drive gear and said indicator arm for concomitant movement,

I and a piloting element fixed relative to said drive gear and adapted to coact with a mating piloting element on the gear train supporting structure to accurately position said gear relative to the supporting structure for meshing engagement with a gear of the register'drive train.

8. In a fluid meter having a meter housing, a metering driven magnetic element movable in response to flow of fluid through said housing, and a fluid meter register adapted to be fixed to said meter housing, said fluid meter register comprising a hollow multi-component register casing and a register sub-assembly structurally distinct from said register casing and mounted within said casing solely on only one of the components of said register casing, said register sub-assembly comprising a first frame die-casting having a generally flat central portion provided with at least one register drive train shaft fixed solely thereto and extending perpendicular to said central portion, means securing said first frame die-casting to saidone component of said register casing, a meter register drive train having a gear cluster journalled on said shaft and a register drive magnetic element disposed within said casing and drive connected to said gear cluster, said register drive magnetic element being magnetically coupled to said metering driven magnetic element by a magnetic force transmitted through said one component of said register casing, a second frame die-casting fixed to said first frame die-casting and extending over the other end of said shaft, the spacing between said frame member diecastings axially of said shaft being Slightly greater than the axial length of said gear cluster and than the portion of said shaft projecting from said first frame member die casting to axially confine said gear cluster on said shaft.

9. In a fluid meter having a meter housing, a metering driven permanent magnet movable in response to flow of fluid, and a fluid meter register adapted to be fixed to said housing, said fluid meter register comprising a register subassembly and an internally hollow hermetically sealed i-mperforate multi-component register casing having a transparent Window with said register sub-assembly being structurally distinct from said multi-component register casing and being mounted Within said registercasing solely on only one of the components of said register casing, said register sub-assembly comprising a plural order counter mounted Within said casing adjacent said Window and readable therethrough, and a register drive magnetic element within said casing and drive connected to the lowest order of said counter with said register drive magnetic element being magnetically coupled to said metering driven permanent magnet by a magnetic force transmitted .through said one component mounting said register subassembly, the components of said casing cooperating with each other to enable access to the interior of said casing only by unconcealable destructive mutilation of at least one of said components,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 15,232 Norris Nov. 22, 1921 363,776 Sweet May 24, 1887 614,251 Kershaw Nov. 15, 1898 739,215 Potter et al. Sept. 15, 1903 1,167,887 Clarke Jan. 11, 1916 1,730,914 Bru baker Oct. 8, 1929 1,909,740 Zubaty May 16, 1933 1,963,330 Lumme June 19, 1934 2,183,667 Buckendale Dec. 19, 1939 2,216,016 Marsh Sept. 24, 1940 2,220,419 I Meldahl Nov. 5, 1940 2,487,783 Bergman Nov. 15, 1949 2,541,790 Sugden et al. Feb. 13, 1951 

1. IN A FLUID METER HAVING A METER HOUSING, A REGISTER ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE FIXED TO SAID METER HOUSING AND COMPRISING A MULTI-COMPONENT REGISTER CASING DELIMITING A CONFINED SPACE, AND A REGISTER SUB-ASSEMBLY STRUCTURALLY DISTINCT FROM SAID REGISTER CASING AND MOUNTED IN SAID SPACE SOLELY ON ONLY ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF SAID REGISTER CASING, SAID SUBASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED SUPPORTING FRAME MEMBERS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TOGETHER AND MOUNTED ON SAID ONE COMPONENT OF SAID REGISTER CASING, A COUNTER MECHANISM SUPPORTED ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS, A SPEED REDUCING GEAR TRAIN DRIVING SAID COUNTER MECHANISM AND INCLUDING A SERIES OF FIXED PARALLEL SHAFTS WITH MESHING PAIRS OF RELATIVELY LARGE DRIVEN AND SAID SHAFTS BEING SOLELY MOUNTED ON AND FIXED TO ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS AND TERMINATING IN SPACED RELATION TO THE OTHER OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS AT ONE END AND OTHERS OF SAID SHAFTS BEING MOUNTED SOLELY ON AND FIXED TO THE OTHER OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS AND TERMINATING IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID ONE FRAME MEMBER, SAID FRAME MEMBERS COOPERATING WITH EACH OTHER TO AXIALLY RETAIN SAID RELATIVELY LARGE DRIVEN AND SAID RELATIVELY SMALL DRIVE GEARS ON THOSE SHAFTS FIXED TO ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS. 